How many of you are experiencing a drop in egg production?

[Portia]

Went from 12-14 a day down to 3-4. Not only has the daylight halted things, but my 10 older girls are all in full moult. I have 1 pullet in 1/2 moult and the other 4 are still laying. I also have 3 pullet that should start laying soon. Still, this winter we are going to have a lot fewer eggs.

 

[jossanne]

I've got +/- 30 laying hens, and a few not laying yet. They are several different age groups. The older girls (20 mo and 16mo old) are molting. The middle girls (bantam cochins, 13mo old) are just getting over being broody. Only a few of the younger girls (7mo old) are laying.

So far, in the first 8 days of the month, I've had only 62 eggs. One day this past week, I only had 3. Today it was 7.

The molting girls are starting to feather in well, so hopefully they'll pick it back up again soon. GRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!

 

[embkm]

My girls' production has stopped. My older girls are in serious molt. There are so many feathers flying around it looks like a chicken exploded in there and they look so pathetic I feel bad for them. My younger girls though.... they better start picking up the pace and paying rent. They just started laying at the end of August... not molting and not broody.

We went from 8-10 from 11 hens per day to.... 0! Yes, 0. Haven't had an egg in 4 days. In fact, in the past 2 weeks, I've gotten a total of 3 eggs from my BR. Everyone else has stopped. I haven't gotten a blue or green egg in over a month.

 

[breezy]

Im new to chickens so Im hoping this isnt too dumb to ask but....why in the world would chickens start moulting in the beginning of winter? Why dont they moult early to mid summer like wild birds do? It seems counter productive to drop your feathers during cold weather. In wild birds moult is triggered by end of breeding season and also by the amount of daylight they recieve, what triggers moult in chickens?

 

[fasbendera]

I had 19 layers and was getting 9-12 eggs a day. In August I took 4 birds of producrtion (freebies that were 3 years old not good egg producers). Of the remaining flock three went broody and three started molting so for a while I was getting 1-3 eggs a day. It just started to pick up and a pullet just started laying. I have 10 chicks that I added this summer that should start laying in Jan. I do supplement light as I use a heat bulb (I have been doing that for four years now and it works for me). This past week eggs are up to 3-6 a day and the molt is almost over for my last girl.

 

[fla_native]

Our egg production has actually gone up! Of course, we live in Florida.....

Hmm...I wonder if temperature has more to do with it than light? No lights in our coops. They DO lay at a different time of day now.

 

[feathersnuggles]

Quote:
I'm certainly no scientist, but here's my guess (and it's just a guess!). Humans have bred out the "laying season" on domestic chickens in order to get "EGGs, EGGs, EGGs" all the time and for meat, too. With all that laying, our hens have the biological potential to be rearing chicks nearly all the time. And when she's raising them, her chicks need a FULLY FEATHERED mom to keep them warm. My guess is that, once summer closes out, their bodies finally get a chance to slow down egg production naturally and they get the needed rest to be able to molt, to produce a new set of perfect feathers for the winter's cold.

It seems to be a trade-off in order to get the eggs that humans so desire! If we let our chickens return to their wild state, my guess is they would be like the wild birds you described. Their eggs & bodies would be a lot smaller and "flightier". They'd have a small laying season, raise chicks, then molt, etc.

Just a hunch.

 

[breezy]

That makes complete sense. thank you

 

[NJbirdlover]

went from 9 per day to 5-6....bummer!

 

[redbugs13]

I have 6 hens. I got them all in March. I have not had an egg from them in almost a month.... I have no idea what's been going on. I have one female indian runner duck and a khaki campbell and they seem to have no problem with laying....

Should I be doing something different?